Horizon Europe’s global reach expands to new Associated Countries: Japan, South Korea, Egypt

By Marine Hurard, European Project Manager - GO 

Horizon Europe's global reach expands significantly with Japan, South Korea, and Egypt now joining as Associated Countries—unlocking new partnership opportunities with almost equivalent participation rights to EU Member States. Association is the most advanced form of cooperation offered by Horizon Europe, allowing these countries to participate in calls for proposals under the same conditions as EU members, in return for a financial contribution to the programme budget. 

Following our May 2025 article on Horizon Europe's expanding associated countries (e.g. Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland), significant developments have occurred. The association agreements and transitional arrangements announced earlier have now been formalized, and Japan—previously under negotiation—has officially joined the programme. These updates directly affect partnership strategies for upcoming 2026-2027 Pillar II collaborative projects’ consortium building. 

• Japan has completed its association process and is now officially associated to Pillar II from January 2026, with researchers now eligible for direct EU funding. Read article: What Japan’s association means for Horizon Europe.  

• South Korea's association has been confirmed for Pillar II.  

• Egypt has officially joined Horizon Europe with full programme access in October 2025. Egyptian entities can lead and join consortia with direct EU funding, offering strategic positioning for Mediterranean and African infectious disease surveillance networks and One Health initiatives. 

  
  

Japan, South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand are associated to Pillar II only (not ERC/EIC), while Switzerland and Egypt are eligible for all Horizon Europe pillars. 

• Australia, Singapore and India negotiations are ongoing.  

• Morocco negotiations are on hold.

  
  

The Grants Office – EU division can assist with partner identification in these countries and clarify participation conditions for your 2026-2027 proposals. Contact us at goeurope[at]pasteur.fr for consortium development and grant writing support.